Moores Creek Bridge

Moores Creek Bridge

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

2 listed

Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Looking across the swamp of Moores Creek Bridge, locally referred to in 1776 as Widow Moores’ Bridge. While we may never know exactly what it looked like, some 18th-century documents, like the 1764 law quoted at left, help shed light on bridge construction. Back then most bridges were built on cypress or heart of pine. Builders were required to construct “good and lawful” bridges “passable for carts and wagons.”

From historical accounts, we know a bridge has sat at this location since 1743. It crossed Moores Creek, connecting Mt. Misery near Wilmington to Cross Creek (now Fayetteville). 
 

As you continue along the trail, you will cross the bridge, tracing the footsteps of Patriots and Loyalists.

A Bridge Through Time
The appearance of Moores Creek Bridge has changed over time. Colonial wood bridges lasted about 10 years; Moores Creek Bridge may have been replaced as many as 10 times between 1743 and 1851.